Your horse’s hooves contend with a range of terrains, activities, and weather conditions, which is why it’s so important they are maintained in a way that keeps your horse healthy and comfortable. A horse’s hooves need to be monitored regularly for injury and disease, to ensure your horse can go about its daily life happily and free from pain. . Knowing how to care for your horse’s hooves is essential, and includes making sure the diet is balanced with the right nutrients to create healthy hoof horn and if a shortfall exists, selecting the right horse supplements such as biotin to strengthen and maintain the hoof. We’ll take a closer look at why hoof care is so important, and how you can create your own hoof care routine.
Maintain health and well-being
Maintaining your horse’s hooves aids their overall health and well-being as a horse needs to be able to move easily to eat and exercise. A regular visit from a farrier helps to keep hooves at the correct length but also maintains their balance. An unbalanced hoof can cause significant issues to join further up the leg particularly in horses that are in higher levels of work. . Even leisure horses need healthy hooves. If your horse has sore, painful, or neglected hooves, they are less likely to be able to navigate their surroundings, which can cause stress and even behavioural problems.
Reduces the chance of injury and disease
Inadequate hoof care can lead to disease, injury, and general discomfort for your horse.. Cracks in hooves are one of the most common signs of issues, more subtle signs include the angle of the front of the hoof wall and the health of the sole of the foot. Your farrier will help you with this so do ask them for advice.
Supporting performance
Performance horses’ hooves endure a lot of pressure when the horse moves at speed or jumps over large fences. The frog on the base of the foot acts as a shock absorber and so is crucial to how a horse performs. Horses are vulnerable to puncture wounds through the soles of their feet as well as bruising so consider carefully whether the ground is suitable for competing on and don’t be afraid to withdraw if the ground is hard or uneven. Saving your horse for the longer term should be your priority.
Developing a hoof care routine
It’s essential as a horse owner that you create a hoof care routine to suit your horse’s needs. Here are a few points to think about to help you create a suitable and sustainable hoof care routine.
- Pick out the hooves: make sure you pick out hooves regularly to ensure there’s no debris or stones stuck in the hoof that might be causing discomfort. You should do this before and after you go for a ride, or when bringing your horse in from the field.
- Familiarise yourself: One of the best ways to identify whether your horse’s hooves are healthy is to get to know what is normal for your horse. This way, you’ll know as soon as you spot something that’s not quite right. Think about look, firmness, texture, and pulse in normal conditions to help you.
- Find a reputable farrier: To keep your horse’s hooves in check, you’ll need to contact the professionals. Find a farrier that has a good reputation, with training and expertise to back it up, whom you can schedule appointments with regularly and rely on to keep your horse’s hooves maintained in a way that suits its circumstances, depending on age, condition, or activity level.
Ensuring that you do all you can to help your horse maintain healthy hooves is essential as a horse owner and means your horse will be comfortable, happy and healthy when taking on competitions, rides, or even just when navigating its surroundings, meaning improved physical and mental health.
